Merritt brings a positive outlook, clearer direction as Spiders challenge A-10
Daon Merritt was asked what he learned during his four games of inactivity due to a knee sprain.
"I know now why coach goes like this," Merritt said. He buried his face in his hands as UR coach Jerry Wainwright occasionally does in response to poor execution.
Wainwright's hands didn't often go to his face last Saturday during the Spiders' easy win over St. Bonaventure. Merritt's return was a factor.
In 21 shake-off-the-rust minutes, the 5-9 sophomore gave UR 15 points and eight assists. He clearly brought more direction to a Richmond offense that struggled in his absence. UR averaged 57.3 points in the four games Merritt missed. The Spiders dropped 86 on St. Bonaventure.
"He spreads the floor. He puts pressure on defenders. We're a lot better with him than without him," UR forward Jamaal Scott said of Merritt, who averages 11.5 points and is Richmond's top assist man by 50 assists.
Without Merritt, a two-year regular, the Spiders' ball-handling went primarily to freshmen Andres Sandoval and Courtney Nelson, who still require seasoning to become stable guards. Richmond (13-14) faces Rhode Island (6-21) today at noon in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament, and Merritt's ability to come back from an injury that was believed to be a season-ender will give UR a shot of confidence at Cincinnati's U.S. Bank Arena.
One Spider doesn't require a shot of confidence.
"When I'm out there, we won't score 36 points," Merritt said, referring to Richmond's 49-36 loss at Saint Joseph's in mid-February, a game he missed. "I really do a lot of transition things for this team. I'm really great in transition. In the half-court sets, I know our offense. The offense is built around me, so it really helps when I'm there.
"Coach always says the team goes as I go, so I'm happy to be back. I guess I couldn't be back at a better time."
Merritt's highly-positive attitude may be as important as his skills to Richmond, which has lost five of seven. During that stretch, the opponents UR beat were Duquesne and St. Bonaventure, which combined to win 10 regular-season games. If they beat Rhode Island, the Spiders would have to deal with Saint Joseph's (17-10), which had the league's best A-10 record (14-2).
"Sometimes when you've been out a while, you come back and you're a little bit fresher and your attitude is different," said Wainwright. "When something is taken away from you that you truly love, you approach it I think sometimes differently when you come back.
"[Merritt has] really kind of rejuvenated our team, to tell you the truth."
At UNC Wilmington and UR, Wainwright's teams generally played demanding non-conference schedules that toughened them, offered strong defensive resistance, and valued the ball, making them tough outs at tournament time.
"We can be dangerous," Scott said. The Spiders are much more dangerous with Merritt, who, naturally, believes this team that's a game under .500 is in great shape for a tournament run.
"We won five straight," Merritt said of UR's five-game winning streak during late January and early February. "You only have to win four to be crowned A-10 champions."
Daon Merritt was asked what he learned during his four games of inactivity due to a knee sprain.
"I know now why coach goes like this," Merritt said. He buried his face in his hands as UR coach Jerry Wainwright occasionally does in response to poor execution.
Wainwright's hands didn't often go to his face last Saturday during the Spiders' easy win over St. Bonaventure. Merritt's return was a factor.
In 21 shake-off-the-rust minutes, the 5-9 sophomore gave UR 15 points and eight assists. He clearly brought more direction to a Richmond offense that struggled in his absence. UR averaged 57.3 points in the four games Merritt missed. The Spiders dropped 86 on St. Bonaventure.
"He spreads the floor. He puts pressure on defenders. We're a lot better with him than without him," UR forward Jamaal Scott said of Merritt, who averages 11.5 points and is Richmond's top assist man by 50 assists.
Without Merritt, a two-year regular, the Spiders' ball-handling went primarily to freshmen Andres Sandoval and Courtney Nelson, who still require seasoning to become stable guards. Richmond (13-14) faces Rhode Island (6-21) today at noon in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament, and Merritt's ability to come back from an injury that was believed to be a season-ender will give UR a shot of confidence at Cincinnati's U.S. Bank Arena.
One Spider doesn't require a shot of confidence.
"When I'm out there, we won't score 36 points," Merritt said, referring to Richmond's 49-36 loss at Saint Joseph's in mid-February, a game he missed. "I really do a lot of transition things for this team. I'm really great in transition. In the half-court sets, I know our offense. The offense is built around me, so it really helps when I'm there.
"Coach always says the team goes as I go, so I'm happy to be back. I guess I couldn't be back at a better time."
Merritt's highly-positive attitude may be as important as his skills to Richmond, which has lost five of seven. During that stretch, the opponents UR beat were Duquesne and St. Bonaventure, which combined to win 10 regular-season games. If they beat Rhode Island, the Spiders would have to deal with Saint Joseph's (17-10), which had the league's best A-10 record (14-2).
"Sometimes when you've been out a while, you come back and you're a little bit fresher and your attitude is different," said Wainwright. "When something is taken away from you that you truly love, you approach it I think sometimes differently when you come back.
"[Merritt has] really kind of rejuvenated our team, to tell you the truth."
At UNC Wilmington and UR, Wainwright's teams generally played demanding non-conference schedules that toughened them, offered strong defensive resistance, and valued the ball, making them tough outs at tournament time.
"We can be dangerous," Scott said. The Spiders are much more dangerous with Merritt, who, naturally, believes this team that's a game under .500 is in great shape for a tournament run.
"We won five straight," Merritt said of UR's five-game winning streak during late January and early February. "You only have to win four to be crowned A-10 champions."
